For many years, the typical garbage can or wastebasket utilized in the normal kitchen was of a cylindrical or rectangular shape having a single compartment into which garbage, wastepaper and the like would be placed. When full, the garbage can or wastebasket would be emptied into larger receptacles normally stored outdoors and would be removed on a periodic basis.
The advent of plastic garbage bags presented a change in this procedure whereby the plastic garbage bag was used as a liner for the receptacle and when full, the plastic garbage bag was tied at the top and removed from the receptacle and placed in a larger receptacle for ultimate disposal. The plastic garbage bag presented a somewhat cleaner and more aesthetic approach to the collection of garbage.
Now, in many towns and municipalities throught the United States, ordinances are being enacted requiring the homeowner to separate various types of waste and garbage. In many instances, this effort is designed to reduce the amount of garbage being placed in landfills which are rapidly becoming filled and to encourage the recycling of certain materials such as aluminum and metal cans and glass. Therefore, in order to comply with such recycling efforts and the separation of garbage, the homeowner would have to obtain several of the standard cylindrical or rectangular wastebaskets. This would lead to an inconvenience in the home because of increased space required for the plurality of wastebaskets required. Additionally, the separation of garbage which is being encouraged and the recycling effort suffers from the fact that the homeowner normally will not comply unless he or she can conveniently accomplish the task.
There are multiple section wastebaskets and garbage cans available on the marketplace. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,493. However, these multiple section wastebaskets, while of one-piece construction, suffer from the drawback that they do not permit the homeowner to continue to utilize the convenience of plastic garbage bags which have become prevalent in our society.
Applicant's invention is directed to a compartmentalized trash container which is of one-piece construction, easily stackable, and yet permits the homeowner to continue to utilize plastic garbage can liners while at the same time providing the convenience for separation of garbage for disposal and recycling.